PART
XVII
"I think I'm getting better at this flying thing." Vivli commented as the Raven shot through the air. "I haven't been sick once!"
"Maybe Cid's just getting better at flying!" Bootus suggested.
"You'll never give me credit for anything, will you?" Vivli asked, sounding slightly offended.
"Not if I can help it." Bootus replied with a smirk.
"We're approaching Kazham!" Cid called out.
"About time!" Bootus called back.
The Raven splashed down roughly in the waters just outside of Kazham. Vivli threw up as it rocked. Bootus laughed.
"Damn." She grumbled.
"You'rrrrrre
rrrrrreally not verrrrrry good at trrrrrrravelling are you?" Dedji
pointed out.
"I figure it's Altana's way of telling us that
we shouldn't fly, or cross oceans, but only go where our two feet
can take us." Vivli gave in excuse. Cid walked out of the cabin
with a laugh.
"If Altana didn't want us flying, she wouldn't have given us the ability to build airships." He slapped Vivli on the back, which unfortunately made her throw up again. She groaned, shaking uneasily.
"Nice way to make a first impression as a returning princess." Zinkata mocked.
"Two words." Vivli snapped. "The second one is up and the first one is shut."
"I don't get it." Commented Voldos. Vivli rolled her eyes.
Cid remained behind with the Raven as the five wondered through the now changed Kazham. It was badly damaged. The small wooden huts had been ripped to shreds, several had collapsed. The population seemed changed as well. They were much quieter, going about the work of rebuilding in silence. It was as if their very spirits had been crushed after discovering how powerful Lich's troops had been, and how their pride as a society of warriors had been destroyed by losing the battle so easily. Vivli found a smile creeping across her face as the irony hit her. They had mocked her for being a white mage. They had made her feel weak and worthless. But in reality, only a white mage could have defeated the attackers. Only a white mage could have made it possible to win the battle here.
Her smile instantly faded as she saw a field full of quickly assembled graves. She felt sick with guilt for finding any amusement in the devastation around. She stared at the graves of the mithra who had fallen fighting. Tears formed in her eyes.
"They couldn't stop them." Dedji told her softly. "The skeletons just marrrrrched thrrrrrrough this town like it was nothing. Just another obstacle on the path to the Temple of Uggalepih. The warriors trrrrried to stop them, but were struck down. They couldn't be killed." She paused. "All this devastation just to get to the other side of the town."
"They could have just asked." Vivli said pathetically, too upset to think through what she was saying.
"Dedji! Vivli!" A voice called. The two mithra span around to see Arcane approaching them. "What arrrrre you doing herrrrre?" By now, Zinkata, Voldos and Bootus had wondered over to join them.
"We came to check up on the town." Dedji explained.
"We have to keep moving to keep the orb safe from Lich." Zinkata furthered this. "Seemed logical to come here. At least until we have a plan." Listening to himself say it, Zinkata realised just how aimless they had become. Arcane paused.
"Convenient you arrrrre herrrrrrre, Vivli." She said. "I have a gift forrrrrr you."
"A gift?" Vivli's eyes lit up. Arcane pulled from her satchel a silver staff.
"A sign of the mithrrrrran prrrrrincess. Most mithrrrrrra actually take it as an insult, since a small staff such as that is ineffective in combat. However, you can make use of it." Vivli examined it. It was made of solid silver, about three feet long with a large silver headpiece with an inbuilt red ruby. Vivli looked closely at the jewel.
"Pretty." She remarked, before realising how girly this sounded and attempting to correct it. "Ahem. I mean the ruby is very artistic." It wasn't a very good correction. "I mean, thank you." She said. "I can't guarantee you'll get it back. I have a bad track record with staffs."
"That is the legendarrrrry Staff of Rrrrra, I hope you look after it." Arcane said. "If you do not, it isn't a big loss. You are the princess, ownership of it is yours, you may do what you please."
"I'll try my best." Vivli said with a rather unconfident nod. She turned to Bootus. "Hey! Being a princess has some pros! And I thought it was all being insulted by you!"
"So, what do we do now?" Zinkata pondered.
"You
may be of some use while you're herrrrre." She suggested.
"What's
wrong?" Vivli quickly asked.
"Ever since Lich rrrrrraided the temple, we haven't been able to get back in there." Arcane explained. "He left something behind. Something guarding it. Something," She paused, searching for the right word, "Terrrrrrrrrifying. Everybody is too scared to enter."
"Ha!" Bootus laughed. "You mithra act like courageous warriors, but you're all as cowardly as Vivli is." Vivli crossed her arms, looking offended.
"Actually, we aren't. Unlike you galkas who just avoid combat digging away in your dark mines." Arcane enjoyed saying that, especially when she saw the look of offence on Bootus's face. "But anybody who approaches the temple is grrrrrrrripped in fear. It's like whatever is in there rrrrrrradiates fear, causes it to surrrrrrface. It's bizarrrrrrrrre." Arcane paused. "The few who managed to fight by it never emerged from the temple."
"And you want us to investigate?" Zinkata asked.
"If you want something to do." Arcane said casually. "I'm surrrrrre a scarrrrrry temple is nothing for the legendarrrrrrry Warriors of Light."
"That's Light Warriors." Bootus interjected.
"I think Viv had better sit this one out." Voldos suggested.
"What?" Vivli snapped. "Why?"
"Viv, you're scared of the dark, of spiders-" Voldos was cut off before he could continue.
"Of rats." Bootus interjected.
"I am not scared of rats!" Vivli cried. "They just make my skin crawl!"
"Exactly!" Bootus laughed.
"Hell, you're even scared of the water!" Voldos laughed.
"Only because I can't swim!" Vivli protested.
"So I think a temple that's evoking fear automatically in the bravest mithra warriors isn't the best place for you to go." Voldos finished his point.
"I have to side with them on this one Viv." Zinkata admitted.
"No way!" Vivli cried. "I'm going!"
The four Light Warrior's stood outside the Temple of Uggalepih.
"I've changed my mind." Vivli muttered, quaking.
"What the hell is that?" Zinkata trembled. "It doesn't make sense! I don't want to fear, but I do anyway!"
"That's what being scared is about." Vivli grumbled.
"But it's completely illogical!" Zinkata cried. "There's nothing to be afraid of!"
"Still what being scared is all about." Vivli muttered.
"Better believe her, Zin." Bootus said. "She's an expert." Vivli shot him an angry stare. "Come on, let's go!" Bootus was immune to fear simply because showing fear would mean that Vivli looked a little less stupid for being afraid, and so he wouldn't let himself. He was immune because he wanted to humiliate Vivli, even if inside his body was shaking in horror.
"No!" Vivli protested. "I'm staying here! I'm not going in there!" Bootus grabbed her by the tail.
"Been a while since I had to do this. Come on!" He dragged her off as she screamed in terror. Voldos and Zinkata exchanged a nervous glance.
"Guess we had better follow them." Zinkata said.
The temple had been plunged into darkness. What was making it so dark, none of the four knew, but it was dark none the less. Bootus could feel Vivli trying to tug away.
"Let me go!" She screamed. "I want to get out!"
"Calm down!" Bootus snapped, tugging on her tail hard enough to make her yelp and fall instantly silent. The four stood in the darkness, and waited.
"Does anybody else get that feeling we're not alone?" Zinkata asked nervously. They were breathing heavily. There was nothing but silence in the darkened temple.
Something
burst into view right in Vivli's face.
She screamed in total horror. Where it had come from, she couldn't
tell, but it seemed to be the ceiling. It had the appearance of a
hume, but its skin had degraded, worn down. Its eyes glowed a ghastly
green, and it long strands of oily black hair running down from its
head. Vivli fell over in pure horror. The other three adventurers
instinctively drew their weapons, pointing them at the creature. The
darkness receded, and as the light was restored they saw the mangled
mithran corpses that were scattered all over the temple. They also
saw the strange pale human, spitting and hissing at them. The ghostly
green eyes glowed as it roared. It was unusually skinny, as if it had
almost become a skeleton.
"More
victims for the slaughter!" It spat in a
crackling voice.
"What are you?" Zinkata yelled, turning his fear to aggression. Bootus had clenched his fists, and was ready to attack. Voldos was shaking uneasily, his sword gripped tightly in his hands. Vivli was handling it much worse, curled up on the floor, sobbing in fear.
"A friend and henchman of Lich." The creature spat. "A servant to Lord Chaos, ruler of the demons!"
"Why are you here?" Voldos cried, using the same tactic as Zinkata to control his fear.
"To protect the temple of course." The demon snarled. "I am the demon of fear. Fear is a powerful weapon. More powerful than your metal." The green eyes focused on Voldos, and he shook, dropping his sword. "Do you not see? For all your accomplishments you are but slaves to your emotions. This I can exploit! Fear is your weakness and my strength. That is why you cannot defeat me!"
Lich laughed as he listened to his demon rant. He had dispatched it to keep the mithra out of the temple, hoping to delay their discovery of his plan to resurrect the fiends. Ingenuity had foiled this, having figured out what he did anyway, but he left his demon there. He knew the Light Warriors would defeat it despite its arrogance. He didn't care. His latest servant he had sent to track them down would eliminate them. Of this he was certain.
The demon was sent flying across the room with a forceful punch. Bootus started pounding it before its green eyes met his and he stumbled back, dropping to his knees in pure fear. The demon let out a roaring laugh.
"See?" It bellowed. "Not even galkan fury can stand before me!"
"You have a problem though." Zinkata pointed out, much more confident now the creature was distracted with evoking fear into Bootus. "There's four of us and one of you."
"Three of you." The demon motioned to Vivli, who, being less confident than the others, was curled up crying. "And fear is my weapon, but not the end." It drew a long sword, seemingly from nowhere, and sprang to Vivli, picking her up with the sword at her throat. "Now, if I can't kill all of you, I can simply threaten one. Move and she dies." Vivli shook with fear.
"What now?" Voldos asked nervously. Vivli gulped.
"Attack him." She said as bravely as she could. "I'm not afraid to die."
"What?" Bootus exclaimed, in shock that Vivli wasn't afraid of anything.
"I said I wasn't afraid to die." She said, sounding more confident. "I'm afraid of a lot of things, but I'm not afraid to die. I'm not afraid of the creature when all it threatens is my life. I'm not afraid of you! I defy you!" She started calling. "There is nothing to fear!"
"What?" The creature barked. "You can't do that! Stop!"
"No! I defy you! You do not scare me!" The others glanced to each other as Vivli yelled.
"As
do I!" Zinkata cried.
"And me!" Voldos said.
"Me too!" Bootus added.
"We defy you!" Zinkata yelled. The creature wobbled a little, letting Vivli go. She ran to the others. She was scared, but was shouting to dispose of that fear.
"You do not scare us!" She cried. "You said yourself, fear was your strength! Well, without it, you are nothing!"
"But you are afraid." The creature laughed. "You are scared."
"Fear is natural. You are unnatural. As our unnatural fear fades, what is left will defeat you!" Vivli was operating purely on theory.
"This isn't going to work, is it?" Zinkata whispered to Vivli.
"No. But he doesn't know that." Vivli whispered back. "I defy you!" She cried again, and the creature crouched down. "Now." She growled to Zinkata. "I defy you!"
As she yelled, Zinkata charged in and cut off the creature's head. It exploded in a puff of shadow. He smiled.
"Easy."
He laughed.
"You aren't really not afraid of death, are you?"
Bootus asked Vivli.
"I'm petrified of it." Vivli answered. "But he didn't know that, either."
"Thought as much." Laughed Bootus.
"Wonder
if we'll get a reward." Mused Voldos.
"Hey!" Vivli
protested. "If anybody's going to ask my parents for money, it's
going to be me!"
"Well, unless we get back, we'll never know." Zinkata said casually to get the party moving. "Come on."
A figure approached Kazham.
"I
am here, my lord Lich." He said into a linkshell.
"The Light
Warriors are returning from the temple." Lich told him. "Meet
them in the jungle and destroy them there."
"Yes, my lord." The figure nodded.
The jungle was humid, and full of creatures. Creatures that knew to avoid the Light Warriors as they walked along the path. They could sense the recent achievement of the warriors in the temple, and they knew it wasn't wise to meddle with them.
Another figure, a figure clad in completely black armour, was walking along the same path. His face was under the heavy helmet, and could not be seen. Two gigantic horns rose from the armour, also black. And the armour wasn't black as if it was painted, but more as if no light could escape from it because it was concentrated darkness. The Light Warriors stopped in their tracks as they saw the figure.
"Hello." He said simply.
"Hi!" Vivli called nervously.
"Lich has decreed your destruction." The figure told them.
"Sheesh. We just beat one of his minions. Don't we ever get a break?" Sighed Bootus.
"Draw steel, or you will be destroyed without a fight." The figure warned. Voldos drew his bow and arrow and shot him.
"Case closed." Voldos said confidently. The figure rose, pulling the arrow out of his body.
"I am glad to see you wish to make this interesting." The figure drew two gigantic double broadswords from his back. How he held one in each hand was beyond the understanding of the heroes. "Now, let us see if you are worthy of your titles."
"Somebody up there hates us." Vivli grumbled. "We never get breaks."
"I swear, after we've killed Lich, we're taking a very very long holiday." Zinkata sighed.
"Are you going to talk me to death or fight?" The figure asked.
"Fight." Zinkata assured him. "We just had to get some complaining done first." The heroes drew their weapons. "Let's get on with it."
The figure rushed at the heroes as Zinkata, Voldos and Bootus rushed him. Vivli began casting. The Light Warriors were completely unaware of the foe they faced.
Author's Note: Yes, I know I shamelessly stole the name of the staff. Also, if you read this chapter and the section with the staff wasn't there, its because I added it because I remembered it had to go in there. Oops.
